The Dark Return
by Kar-zid
Summary: Tal and Milla are settled in, but what they don't know is that the dark evil they fought is back, and so is Sharrakor, but he isn't after the Veil, and Crow is back, enjoy!Please R
1. The Fall

THE SEVENTH TOWER

The Dark Return

**Disclaimer: **Garth Nix owns all the characters and nearly everything, I only own the plot.

CHAPTER 1

It had only been a month since Tal and Milla had parted ways, but they would once again be forced together when shadows force themselves back into their world.

The Veil loomed overhead as Tal walked along the mountainside in front of the castle, which he did nearly every day. A rustle in the bushes alerted Tal and he grabbed his sunstone, startled that someone else would be out here.

"Who's there?" Tal asked.

"Tal, you are in grave danger, shadows are coming to engulf the land you call home." a snake like voice hissed from apparently everywhere.

"What do you mean?" Tal asked, now frightened.

But the voice didn't answer. Tal stood knee deep in snow shivering, but not from the cold, he had Icecarl furs on, it was from fright. Then Tal heard a great hiss from behind him and he was thrown into the air. He smashed into the ground unconscious and rolled down the steep mountain narrowly avoiding the hole he had to jump over in his journey back to the castle.

Tal rolled the whole way down the mountain and stopped right up near the Ruin Ship.

Tal awoke several hours later with a sharp pain shooting through his head and his vision was blurry. He tried to sit up but he was pushed back down by someone.

When Tals vision returned he stared at the person who had pushed him down. It was obviously a Shield Maiden, but Tals head hurt so much he just lay back down. It wasn't Milla he knew.

"Why have you come back on the ice?" The Shield Maiden asked.

"I… I…" Tal started but then he blacked out from pain.

The Shield Maiden put her hand behind his head and called for another Shield Maiden. When another arrived the first told her to go and summon a crone.


	2. Visions of Trouble

CHAPTER 2

Milla let out her fierce war cry and charged at the unsuspecting Merwin. It turned around but Milla was already on top of it and 2 other Shield Maidens ran out with their daggers in hand.

Milla took out her dagger and started to stab into the thrashing Merwins head. But it wouldn't give up. It crashed around on the ice and kicked the other two Shield Maidens away. Then it flipped Milla of its head.

Milla landed hard on the ice and was winded for a second. That was all the Merwin needed and charged, but Milla recovered too fast.

Milla jumped into a crouch position and grabbed her knife; she then swung the knife and cut the Merwins leg. It stumbled then fell, too weak to thrash anymore.

The Icecarls quickly killed the beast with one final blow. The Merwin was finally dead and it took three Shield Maidens to kill it.

Milla thought she had done good for all Icecarls, as this Merwin had drew Icecarl blood and slaughtered two Icecarls.

The taller Shield Maiden walked over to Milla and patted her on the back.

"The Merwin will not haunt the Icecarls any longer" The Shield Maiden said comfortingly.

Then Milla heard a long hiss and an image flashed into her mind.

Her old friend Tal, with whom she had had many adventures with, was standing on top of the Mountain of Light just walking when a rustle comes from a bush.

Tal asks who's there and a snake like voice came from everywhere, or nowhere, it was hard to tell.

It warned Tal of danger and shadows would return to take what he calls home. Milla suspected that meant the whole world not just the Castle.

Then she was shocked to see her friend thrown by a monster that had appeared behind him, but she couldn't see it properly. Tal rolled down the mountain obviously knocked out.

Then she snapped back into reality and realized she was on her knees and shaking violently.

"What happened?" One Shield Maiden asked.

"I, I think I just had a crone vision, or something like it." Milla answered, her voice shaking and failed on the last word.

"Well were heading back to the Ruin Ship, you can tell the crones of what you saw, they will know what to do." The other Shield Maiden said, obviously fearing for her sanity.

Milla shakily got to her feet and walked to the sleigh they had gotten to here with.

This was the area that many said the Merwin who hunted Icecarls lived, so Milla and two Shield Maidens had come to rid the world of this beast. Milla felt happy that she had killed the Merwin, but very confused at the vision, and very worried for Tal.

Then trip back and was going to take a while, so Milla thought over the vision so she could report exactly what she saw.

She also wondered what could have happened to Tal, whether he had fallen in the hole, but it hadn't looked like it, he was thrown about 50 stretches and he was pretty close to the hole already so that ruled out that part. But that meant that he had rolled the whole way down the hill and would have suffered serious injury, but hopefully not death.

And what was the shadow creature that had assaulted Tal? And why could she not see it in the vision?

There were so many questions and she would get answers, but she would have to wait until she got to the Crone Mother before she could get these answers.

Millas head hurt and she was shaking a lot so she started the Rovkir Breathing Technique to stop the shivering and reduce the pain.

After a few hours the sleigh came to an abrupt stop, surprising Milla and sending her rolling forward.

Milla heard a strange rustling noise on top of the sleigh as she got to her feet and chose to see what it was, when she walked outside of the sleigh she saw a snake made of pure shadow on top of the sleigh.

Then it spoke to her.

"Milla, you are in grave danger, shadows are coming to engulf the land you call home" she same snake like voice hissed from apparently everywhere that she heard in her vision.

Then it slithered down onto the other side of the sleigh and disappeared. Then the other two Shield Maidens walked around the front of the sleigh.

"There was something pursuing us" one said.

Milla got back in the sleigh and was more confused than ever before.

A few hours later they were in sight of the Ruin Ship.


	3. The First Cavern

CHAPTER 3

When the sleigh stopped near the Ruin Ship Milla leapt out, not shaking anymore, and ran into the Ruin Ship.

She kept running through the bowels of the ship and many Shield Maidens stared as she passed. She only stopped when she reached the Crone Mother walking down a corridor.

"Hello, Milla" came the soft and reassuring voice of the Crone Mother.

"I, I had a vision and Tal was in it, there was a strange snake like voice that sounded like it came from everywhere that told Tal of great danger and that the shadows were returning and the land he called home would be in danger, then a shadow that I couldn't see properly threw him down the mountain. Then I came back and a while later I heard something on the sleigh and I looked and it was a snake shadow that spoke the same words to me then disappeared" Milla said as calmly as she could.

"Yes, we are aware of the incident, your friend is here" the Crone Mother replied in the calm voice of the Crones.

Milla was led into a small room with a bed and a table in it. The room had the golden walls of the Ruin Ship.

On the bed was Tal, who looked to be unconscious. Then his eyes slowly opened.

Then he managed to get up to a sitting position with great difficulty. "Hello Milla." He said.

After telling each other of the goings on of the Chosen and the Icecarls Milla went to her own room for a good nights sleep and Tal also fell asleep.

That night when everyone was sleeping someone snuck into the Ruin Ship. This person or beast took Tal and went for Milla, but as it entered her room she woke up.

Milla jumped to her feet with her knife in hand. The beast didn't seem to care; it just swiped at the Icecarl girl, catching her right in the head silently.

This beast quickly and quietly dragged the two away and out onto the ice.

When Tal woke up he was in a strange place, it looked a bit like the Underfolk Fishing Tunnels, but this place had no water. It was made with rusty metal and was like a maze. The tunnel he was in seemed to go on forever and there was tunnels going left and right all along it.

Tal then saw Milla, just waking up, next to him.

"Where are we?" Tal asked Milla.

Milla stood up and looked around. "I think we are under the ice. A beast came in the night and took us, you were asleep and I tried to fight, but the beast was powerful" she explained.

"How could we be under the ice, there is only water under the ice!" Tal replied.

"We are, and it seems someone has put us in a maze, we will have to find our own way through it, but stay close and be on your guard, who knows what foul animals lay in wait for us down here." Milla said and started to walk down the tunnel, which was lighted by unknown sources for unknown purposes.

Tal got to his feet and caught up to Milla. Then they rounded a corner, and came face to face with a beast the size of a normal Chosen. It had grey fur and was hunched over facing the other way. It looked like a wolf but was standing on two legs.

"What is it?" Tal asked in a whisper.

"I don't know, is it a Chosen creature? Or a Spirit World creature?" Milla asked.

"None that I've ever seen" Tal replied.

Then a book as big as a door flew out from around the corner and crashed into Tal, luckily it didn't make any noise. Milla noticed it straight away and grabbed the Codex which shrunk down to a normal book size. But this was not the Codex she saw before in the Castle. This had a black cover.

Tal snatched it and whispered, "This isn't the Codex, it is, well it looks like the fabled Dark Book of Ice, which I thought was just something to do with the water that freezes in the Underfolk levels, but I guess it's an Icecarl thing." Tal explained to Milla.

Then the book flung open to a page which had writing and pictures. One lit up. It was of the creature in front of them and it said it was a werewolf. A creature that is only created when a werewolf bites a human, and then the human begins to transform into another werewolf.

Then the creature turned around, and let out a great howl looking up at the roof. Then it started to barrel down the corridor, coming straight at them!

Tal leapt up while Milla jumped against the wall.

The werewolf skidded to a stop under Tal, who landed right on it! The werewolf thrashed about with Tal only just holding on. Then it smashed into the walls sending Tal back and side first against the hard metal walls time and time again.

Then Milla leapt at it and tried to stab it. The werewolf wouldn't give up even after a few stabs with Millas bone knife.

Tal focused on his sunstone and it shone bright violet. "Milla, jump when I yell jump!" Tal instructed to Milla who was clinging to the side of the werewolf.

"Jump!" Tal yelled as he leapt off the beasts back and fired a high intensity violet light straight at the werewolf.

When the light hit it, the creature just exploded in a white burst.

"Was that supposed to happen?" asked Milla.

"No, I think it might be something it did itself" Tal replied.

Then the Dark Book of Ice burst open and landed on a page. Milla and Tal looked at it.

The page explained that in these sewers under the ice every beast or monster you destroyed, an item would appear that would help you get out of these chambers.

Tal looked where the werewolf had exploded and sure enough there was something there, it was a Merwin Horn Sword.


	4. The Red Room

CHAPTER 4

Milla saw the Merwin Horn Sword and walked over to it. Milla picked it up and ran it along her hands. It was fresh; the horn still had its natural glow.

Tal continued walking and went down a right corridor, Milla quickly caught up.

They walked along various corridors until they reached a dead end. They turned around but Tal stopped and turned back to the wall.

There were two shadows on the wall that were moving, just like free spiritshadows!

"Duck!" Tal yelled and pushed Milla to the ground as the two shadows jumped over them.

"What did you do that for?!" Milla yelled back.

Then the shadows turned back and scuttled over. They were like a cross of a spider and a grasshopper. It had the body and abdomen of a grasshopper and it had giant fangs like a spider and had four legs and six arms that were spider-like.

They scuttled over and Tal and Milla started to run, but they were too fast.

The shadows caught up. Milla then remembered the sword; she brought it out and turned around.

The blade came slicing down, cutting one of the shadows in half. The other chose that moment to attack, but Tal sent a Red Ray of Destruction and the shadow was thrown back into the wall. Milla leapt to her feet and sliced the shadow in half.

Tal quickly checked the space where the shadows were killed, and on the ground were a red key and an orange key.

Then a sucking sound alerted Tals attention to the wall, which a red door had just appeared on.

Tal walked up to the door and inserted the red key into the red keyhole, and it swung open.

Inside was a long corridor, the whole room was bathed in an eerie red glow from the lava that covered the floor, it looked to be a lot of lave so the floor seemed to be deep. The only way across was a cleverly designed path that was broken up into platforms of steel pushed together about a stretch square made of steel, it had long jumps and narrow paths, so one slip could end in death. Tal put his foot on the first part of the path and hesitated. Maybe there was another way across, so he looked over his shoulder, but the door was gone, Milla was standing there impatiently.

"Hurry up!" She said.

Then the platform of steel Tal was standing on dropped into the lava. Tal nearly fell forward but managed to throw his legs forward so he staggered back.

"We'll have to jump" Milla said. "I'll go first."

Milla walked back a bit, then ran up and easily jumped the gap. Tal thought this meant he could also jump it because back at the hole in the mountain he jumped further than Milla had.

So Tal got a run up and leapt high in the air. Tal saw the next platform coming, but then he was grabbed by a hand that popped out of the lava that started to drag him down.

Tal screamed as the platform he was on started to fall.

Just as he was about to plunge to his death Milla grabbed his hands and wrenched him away from the lava and the hands.

Tal quickly scrambled to his feet and he and Milla started to run along the platforms.

Milla was just a bit ahead of Tal and she tripped. Tal stopped to help her up and noticed this square had writing on it, Chosen and Icecarl writing, which read, 'rest stop'.

"We can stop here" Tal told Milla and sat upon the surprisingly cold metal.

Milla stayed standing after getting to her feet. Tal looked at his ankles and noticed they were burned. The lava hands had burned him.

After a minute or so Tal stood up and he and Milla started running again. They jumped large gaps and dodged lava that had started to spit up. Then they reached another rest platform right next to a bright orange door. The door may have been in a room that was bathed in red light, but it glowed orange. Tal put the key in and turned the lock, pushing open the door.

What was inside shocked Tal and nearly made him start running in the other direction.


	5. Return of the Ultimate Evil

CHAPTER 5

Inside was a room that was only about 10 stretches wide and long. It was completely white. In the middle of the room was a big orange blob with a red substance that looked eerily like blood trickling down its back.

Tal quickly took out the Dark Book of Ice and asked, "What is this blob?"

The book flicked open and on the page it landed on there was a description of the creature.

"It says it's called the Puppet Master, and that it has many surprises, how is that helpful!" Milla exclaimed.

The blob jiggled a bit and great big, black eyes popped out of its head. Then bits of its jelly like substance broke off and floated about a stretch off the ground. Then they all joined together and started to rise and take shape.

After a few seconds there was a big beast made of the substance floating limp in the air. Then it started to change colour to a dark brown. It looked just like a puppet. Then several more joined it, all different shapes but all dark brown.

Then they lightly touched the ground and their eyes flashed yellow.

The biggest one roared and ran right into Tal! Tal was propelled into the wall.

Milla was about to leap at the beast but two others grabbed her and shoved her into the other wall.

The big beast picked up the wounded Tal and punched him right in the stomach with rib shattering force.

Milla struggled and managed to get out her Merwin Horn Sword and sliced at one of her captors.

But this had no effect, it just sliced through it and it rejoined its two halves right away. Milla used all her strength and shoved away the two captors. She then ran at the other beast and sliced it in half, but it had the same effect as last time.

Tal pointed his sunstone at the beast and fired an indigo light at it, and it disintegrated.

Milla saw this and pointed her own sunstone at the others, disintegrating them. This angered the blob and it started to fling itself in globs at them. Milla got covered in it and Tal only had his arm unaffected by the globs of blob jelly.

Milla started to attack the blob but froze, she couldn't move, the blob jelly had frozen her. There was no way to get away from the blob.

Tal saw that Milla couldn't move and tried, he couldn't move either, but then he noticed his free arm, and he could move it! And what was better it was the arm with his sunstone!

The blob started to advance on Milla, what it was going to do neither of them knew.

Tal raised his sunstone and fired a Red Ray of Destruction at the creature, it sank in but part of it was deflected. The deflected light hit Millas hand and the jelly broke off!

"Light destroys the jelly!" Tal called to Milla, and she focused on her Talons of Danir, and they sprung out through the jelly.

Milla scraped the substance off while the blob continued to advance.

Milla let out her war cry and sprung at the blob swinging the talons. The blob tried to turn around but Milla was too fast, she sliced into the beast, leaving long, glowing white marks.

Tal shot another red ray and this time it cut through where its heart should have been. Tal and Milla continued attacking until the blob melted into a pool of white light, then disappeared.

In its place was a mirror, a plain old mirror.

"How could this help?" Milla asked as Tal shot off the last bits of jelly from his body.

"Careful, it could have light magic of some sort!" Tal warned and motioned for her to pass it to him.

Milla obliged and Tal stared into it. Inside was not only his reflection, but a mass of swirling colours that made Tal dizzy.

"How do we get out of this room?" Milla asked.

Tal stared around the room and noticed that there were no doors; even the one he had come through had disappeared.

There was no way out, they were stuck in this bright white room, that somehow had no blob jelly left on its walls even though it had been covered in it before.

Tal stared at the floor to see if there was something there while he tucked the mirror into his pocket in his sleeve that had had many important things kept safe in there.

"There" Milla exclaimed and pointed at the roof.

There in the white roof was a hatch that was also white, so it took Tal a moment to notice it.

That was there way out, but there problems were just starting.

"It's welded shut!" Milla said while pulling and twisting on the hatch as hard as she could, but it wouldn't budge.

"Here, I'll fix it" Tal said directing a cool yellow light at the hatches side. It started to un-weld the hatch, but then Tal felt a cold splash against his ankles. Milla looked down and saw the room was being flooded by water.

"Hurry!" Milla urged as Tal strengthened the beam of light.

The water was up to their waists now and Tal was only half finished.

When the water reached Millas neck Tal finally managed to break the hatch off. It landed in the water with a splash as Milla and Tal wriggled through the hatch.

Tal shut it behind him and took a look around.

They were back on the ice.

But the ice wasn't the only thing around them, there was also the snake shadow, staring at them from 6 stretches away.

"Tal, Milla, welcome back to the ice, but you're a bit late" It said in a low and long hiss.

Tal stared up at the Castle a few hundred stretches away, and saw what the snake shadow meant. The castle was surrounded by a swirl of shadows, flying around in a circle like the Old Khamsoul.

And the Ruin Ship had shadows surrounding it as well, and there seemed to be no way out to fight.

The shadows were back, and they were angry.

Suddenly a gigantic roar of victorious laughter rang through the Dark World.

On top of the Mountain of Light flying toward the Castle was an old enemy, Sharrakor was back.

And now he had all the shadows with him, and he was about two times as big as when he fell off the Old Khamsoul with Crow on his back shouting "Freeeedom, free…"

But how had he survived, he had Caveroach Poison poured all over him, a deadly poison.

But he was there, and Tal and Milla had to stop him, again, but this time Tal would personally make sure Sharrakor didn't make it back.

So Tal and Milla started to run back up to the Mountain of Light and the swirling mass of shadows when the snake shadow slithered in their way.

"Stop, there is no chance you will make it into the Castle without a guide, a helper, and I am offering my service. Unless you want thousands of shadows ripping you apart." The snake Shadow said in a sly voice.


	6. Friends Reunite

CHAPTER 6

A boy lay on the ground in a whirlwind called Old Khamsoul, and he groaned.

_Where am I? _ He thought. _Who am I?_

Then some memory came back but pain also came back, and it nearly made him forget what he had remembered. He was Crow, he had been on top of the rock in front of him, and there had been others with him. He wracked his brains to try to remember who was with him.

_Tal, and Milla, _His memories told him. And there had been a battle. Tal and Millas faces came into view then.

They had been attacked and he had nearly been thrown off the rock. Then he had come up behind whatever was attacking them and smashed something on it, and then he had fallen off the rock.

_We had been battling Sharrakor, a dragon_, Crows memories told him as more came flooding back, he was a Freefolk, and he had been helping Tal and the Icecarls to destroy Sharrakor and save the dark world from being invaded by the Spirit World creatures.

He tried to look around but his whole body was wracked with pain, so he had to do it slowly.

When he turned his neck around to look, he saw nothing but the whirlwind. There was no Sharrakor, like there should be.

Crow slowly and painfully made his way to his feet and leaned against the rock.

What should he do? There was no way he could get out of this whirlwind alive.

Then an idea hit Crow, he should go back to the Dark World, how long had he been unconscious in Aenir? Had the Underfolk been given freedom? Crow knew that he had to go back, and see if everything had been set right.

So Crow lay back down and slowly and croakily he spoke the way back to the Dark World.

As he did this he also focused on the colours and they came flowing out of his miraculously unharmed sunstone and he came back into his own world.

Crow slowly appeared on the ice near the Ruin Ship and at the bottom of the Mountain of Light.

He got up and stretched while looking around at what had happened while he was gone.

A lot had happened. And it didn't look like any of it was good.

The Castle was surrounded by a tornado of shadows and so was the Ruin Ship and what was worse, Crow heard victorious laughter and saw the beast that should be dead, Sharrakor flying up to the top of the Castle.

Crows blood ran cold as he wondered how Sharrakor, or himself survived the great fall covered in Caveroach Poison. They should both be lying dead at the bottom of the Old Khamsoul!

Crow decided he would go straight up that mountain and kill Sharrakor, but this time he would make sure he stayed dead. So he took out his knife and was about to run up the mountain when out of the corner of his eye he saw two people and a shadow.

Crow swung around and sure enough about fifty stretches away were two familiar people and a Snake Shadow.

Tal and Milla were standing only fifty stretches away and were talking to a shadow!

Crow thought that they had banished all the shadows! But then Crow saw the expression on their faces, it was anger and confusion.

So they hadn't let the shadows stay, somehow the shadows had come back into the Dark World with their unholy master Sharrakor.

But the shadow wasn't the only thing with Tal and Milla. Near them was a Merwin from what Milla had told him of the ice, its horn glowed eerily. But it was behind them so they would not notice until it was too late, but Crow could help, and he would help.

None of the group that was talking near the Merwin noticed it but it didn't leap at them, this was a smart Merwin, it only inched along the ice soundlessly. But Crow wouldn't let his friends get gored by a Merwin. Crow would save them.

Crow looked at his dagger, and moved the sunstone from its usual place in the pommel to another holder near the top of the blade.

Then Crow slowly crept down so he was behind the Merwin and slowly crept up to it as it inched towards Tal and Milla, and the strange shadow which seemed to not want to attack them like all others would, except for Adras and Odris. Their former Spiritshadows.

When the Merwin was only a few stretches away it got ready to pounce.

Crow did the same thing and leapt onto the back of its neck. The Merwin let loose a great roar and the group in front of it turned around.

Crow stabbed the knife into the Merwins head and turned it so it was still in but he could see the sunstone, then he released a red wave into the Merwin, so it would destroy everything inside it, but instead it exploded, covering everyone with Merwin blood.

"Hey Tal, hey Milla!" Crow exclaimed.

"Crow!" They, Tal and Milla, yelled at the same time.

They came running up but Milla stopped halfway and put out her arm, stopping Tal as well.

"Crow is dead, you cannot be Crow! We saw him fall more than enough to kill you, and he was covered in Caveroach Poison. You are not Crow; you are trying to trick us!" Milla accused.

"No, I am Crow, ask me a question only the real Crow would know!" Crow retaliated.

"OK, what are the original Freefolks names?" Tal asked, also wary now that he could be something evil.

"Crow, Jerek, Ferrek, Inkie, Gill and Bennem." Crow answered.

"Crow, how did you survive the fall?" Milla asked, now knowing it was the real Crow.

"Yeah, and the Caveroach Poison?" Tal asked.

"I don't know, I just woke back up!" Crow explained, "But tell me what has happened to you?"

Tal then dropped to a sitting position holding his ribs. "Long story, but I guess you deserve to hear it" Tal said.

Then Tal and Milla explained everything that had happened since Crow had fallen off the Old Khamsoul.

"Wow, you've had an adventure!" Crow exclaimed, wide eyed from hearing all of the things they had gone through.

"Now we fight again" Tal said quietly.

"What" Milla and Crow said, confused.

"We fight now, Sharrakor is back, and I don't think he's interested in the Veil" Tal said quietly again.

"What makes you think that?" Milla asked.

"Those!" Tal exclaimed.

Tal pointed at about twenty shadows gliding and scuttling towards them pointing towards Tal.

Then one spoke. "There he is, there is the one the master wants!"


	7. Torture Chamber Escape

CHAPTER 7

Tal leapt to his feet and readied his sunstone, but the shadows had stopped, they just stared at him.

"What is this?" Milla asked.

Then she saw why. In the distance there was even more shadows, free shadows. Her eyes picked it up first, but Tal and Crow saw it shortly after. There was too many to fight off, but none of them were going to back down.

They stood ready for battle, Tal with the Violet Sunstone swirling with red light, Crow with his dagger held high and the sunstone at the blade also swirling with red light and Milla with the Talons of Danir slowly lengthening and her Merwin Horn Sword in her hand.

They would fight as many as they could but they all knew there was too many.

_Do it!_

_No!_

_You know you want to!_

_No!_

Tals conscience battled.

When the two groups of shadows met they charged. And so did Crow, Milla and Tal.

Tal shot red rays at every shadow in his way and they exploded in front of him. Crow stabbed and shot red rays but when 5 shadows leapt at him he was overcome, and knocked out.

"I guess it's just us again" Tal said to Milla who was backed up against his back as shadows surrounded them.

"Yes" Milla said and then she pulled out a dagger and cut her wrist then Tals in the same spot as the crone had right at the start of their adventure together, then they pressed bleeding wrists together.

Milla let out her war cry and Tal yelled.

Then they started to kill each shadow that opposed them, but there was still too many.

2 shadows jumped onto Tal and wound themselves around him, and he slowly drifted into unconscious. His last sight was Milla fighting off the shadows around him.

They were after Tal, Milla thought, but she wouldn't let him down if she could help it.

But the sheer numbers of shadows overwhelmed her and they soon knocked out Milla too.

But Milla still had some parts of consciousness and she heard parts of the shadows conversations as they dragged her, Tal and Crow away. But what surprised her was that they also dragged a shadow, the snake shadow.

One shadow was talking about what their reward would be for bringing these people to their master Sharrakor.

"Maybe we will be given permission to devour these others" one said in as hopeful voice.

"I sure hope so; we haven't had a good meal in weeks! But those shadows down at the Castle have had meals each day!" Another answered.

Then Milla slipped back into full unconsciousness.

When Tal woke up he was tied to someone on the ground that he guessed was Milla, since Crow was tied up against the wall that was visible.

Where were they?

Then Tal recognized where they were. They were in an Underfolk level in a great chamber. Every exit was guarded by shadows, too many to overcome.

Then a dragon shadow walked in, and Sharrakor let out a roar of triumphant laughter.

"So you have been defeated! But I do not long to be in this world, that is why I will give you a choice, either you give up and let me destroy your world and watch as I torture the Emperor of this pitiful society. Or you could kill me, but there is a catch." Sharrakor reasoned.

"What is the catch?" Milla asked suspiciously as she had woken up beside Tal.

"You will do the killing, Icecarl girl, and I shall be inside this boy" Sharrakor said pointing at Tal, "When you kill him I shall die."

"No" Milla replied firmly.

"Now wait to decide until the Emperor boy has said what he prefers.

"Either way I will die, so I would prefer for you to go down with me!" Tal said staring at Sharrakor.

"No" Milla repeated, this time a bit of desperation in her voice, "There has to be another way!"

Sharrakor just laughed and then untied them, picked up Tal and threw him into the wall.

"This is the only other way" he chuckled.

Sharrakor pulled Tals arm out and made a long and painful cut with his claw, right from the shoulder to wrist.

Tal screamed in pain and dropped to his knees.

"Stop!" Both Milla and Crow yelled.

Sharrakor laughed again and said, "So which do you prefer, you killing us both quickly, or me killing him slowly?"

Then a loud explosion distracted everyone, and two people walked through a newly made hole in the wall.

When the dust cleared Ebitt and Malen stood in front of the hole looking around.

A surprised look passed onto their faces as they saw Crow tied up and slumped against a wall, Milla tied up and on her knees and Tal on his knees with blood pouring from his arm.

Milla took this moment to act, she took out her dagger and cut the ropes, than quickly grabbed Tal and ran to Ebitt and Malen, and Crow followed her example.

"You may get away this time, but mark my words you won't ever be safe unless you give in to me. Everywhere you turn there will be someone who is working for me.!" Sharrakor yelled then flew out one of the exits.

Milla looked down at Tal who she was carrying, his eyes were closed and he looked to be asleep, though she knew he was in immeasurable pain.

Milla, carrying Tal, Crow, Ebitt and Malen walked out through the hole they had made.

"How did you find us, and how did you get here from the ice so fast?" Milla asked Ebitt.

"Well, I had a bit of help…" Ebitt replied.

"In other words he asked the Codex" Malen explained, "It said he should get me and gave him a map to follow so he could find you."

Then they all walked quietly for a few minutes. Then Ebitt asked, "What happened to Tal?"

"Sharrakor cut him with his claw" Milla replied.

"What! His shadow claw! How come you didn't tell me before?" Ebitt yelled.

Then Milla looked down at Tals arm, it was still bleeding.

"Set him down, thingamabob come and use your power thingies to heal him" Ebitt ordered.

Milla set Tal down on the ground and Malen came over to see his arm. Then her eyes went cloudy as she started to talk to the other crones.

A few nervous seconds passed then Malens eyes came back to their normal colour. "The crones say that we should get him up to a bed for rest, and that he will recover. But I told them of what Sharrakor said and they told me to tell you that we should watch out for everyone" She said.

Milla picked Tal up and they walked back up through the levels.

When they reached the Violet levels they found his room and put him onto his bed. Then his eyes slowly opened.

"How are you feeling?" Milla asked Tal.

"Want to play colours?" Ebitt asked.

"I don't think he wants to…" Milla started but Tal was smiling.

"Sure Ebitt" he said in a quiet voice.

Ebitt flashed orange and Tal flashed blue, and they played colours. Tal won in the end and he leant back against his pillow.

"Best of three?" Ebitt hoped.

"I'm feeling OK, but very tired." Tal told Milla, ignoring Ebitt.

Then a man walked in and went over to Tal with a glass of water in his hand.

"Thank you" Tal said quietly.

Then Milla caught a flash of silver and tackled the man to the ground as he threw his knife, it narrowly missed Tal and embedded itself into the wall only inches from Tals head.

The man then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

"Are you alright Tal?" Milla asked but Tal and his eyes closed and he was asleep again.

"So Sharrakor wasn't lying…" Crow started.

"So we need to be with him at all times, in shifts" Milla finished. "And where did that snake shadow go?"

As if on cue something dark slithered through the open door with a tear through one side of it.


	8. Healing Troubles

CHAPTER 8

"Hello, I see your friend has been in contact with Sharrakor" The snake shadow hissed. But have you noticed the moral of people throughout the Castle? What do you plan to do if all of your people are cowering from the shadows?" The snake hissed.

"We will fight, with the help of any brave Chosen and Icecarls. Why do you wish to help us? You are a shadow you should be trying to bring us back to Sharrakor" Milla accused.

"I do not wish to follow the master, he sees things differently to me, so I am what you may call an outcast" the snake shadow hissed in reply. "By the way you may call me Rister."

Ebitt looked confused and very comical with his quizzical look, his Ursek furs and the golden pot on his head which he hadn't taken off since the battle.

Millas mouth twitched into a smile for a second but no one noticed.

Then the group slowly made their way out for some rest, except for Crow who would watch Tal until 10 at night in Chosen time.

When everyone had left Crow looked at Tal.

"Hey Tal, are you awake?" Crow asked.

"Yes, but it hurts doing most things" Tal replied in a weak voice without opening his eyes.

Then as Crow was about to speak Ebitt opened the door and walked in, with a violet bird on his shoulder.

"What's that?" Crow asked with a confused look on his face.

"This is Seven" Tal's great uncle replied.

"Why did you name it Seven?" Crow asked.

"Because he is the seventh colour and I found him in the seventh tower on the seventh day!" Ebitt exclaimed looking at Crow as if that had been obvious the whole time.

Tal laughed softly but stopped when he felt it scratch against his throat.

Ebitt sat down and he and Crow watched Tal as he drifted back into a recovering sleep.

At 10 Milla came in and Crow and Ebitt left obviously exhausted and in Ebitts case very bored.

Milla sat down next to Tal's bed and looked at him. His eyes were closed but she knew he was awake and in pain.

Tal's mouth crept into a smile as he spoke with his eyes still closed.

"Hello Milla, bored yet?"

Milla nearly laughed but stopped herself.

After a few seconds silence Milla spoke, "How do you feel?"

"I feel like every bone in my body is on fire, but I'll get over it."

This time Milla couldn't help but laugh. Her laugh was nice, Tal noticed. He had only heard her laugh once before when she told him he had to jump back across a gorge he had nearly fell into. But she was just kidding.

Then Tal reached into his sleeve and pulled out the mirror. The mirror they had picked up back in the chambers under the ice. It had patterns along its edges and its reflective part was a mass of swirling colours, but then the colours slowly turned to black and it had a shape in the middle. But the shape seemed far off and Tal couldn't see it.

Then Milla took out the Dark Book of Ice and laid it on the bed. These were two things that they had picked up after nearly losing their lives in the chambers, but both seemed very useless right now.

Then they both sat bolt upright when they heard a footstep outside, but it didn't sound like a humans.

They quickly packed away the objects on the bed.

Then the door opened and Ferek poked his head through the gap.

"I hope I'm not interrupting things but we wanted to see if Emperor Tal was alright, we only just heard of what happened" Ferek explained as he and the other original Freefolk children walked in.

Tal told them the story after they asked many times of what had happened to him and Milla and eventually Crow.

"Crows alive!" Gill exclaimed and most of the Freefolk went running out the door to go and see for themselves.

Tal and Milla laughed and so did Gill and Ferek.

Gill and Ferek stayed in the room but fell asleep after only a few minutes slumped in a corner.

After another few hours Milla fell asleep with her head on Tal's chest.

Tal opened one eye and smiled. Then he also fell asleep.

Not too long later a dark shape opened the door and hid behind a chest of drawers closing the door behind him.

The trap was set and no one would be able to help Tal because no one would know, but they would soon find out what Sharrakor wanted with their beloved Emperor.

The next morning Ferek woke up and saw Milla sleeping with her head on Tal and he laughed to himself as he got up.

Gill woke up a few minutes later and looked around; she felt thirsty so she left.

The man who was hiding watched this with black eyes, he was just another puppet of Sharrakor, but this puppet was very determined. He would wait until there was no one left in the room but Tal and then he would attack.

After both Milla and Tal woke up and Gill got back they said their goodbyes and Ferek left.

Gill stayed because she wanted to spend the day seeing how Tal was, he didn't show it but she knew he was in serious pain.

Malen visited early with a bag of medicine.

"How have you felt throughout the night?" She asked.

"Pretty good" He said grinning.

Malen left after telling Tal to eat the few herbs she had given him, he did. When Malen turned her back Tal mimed gagging. Gill and Milla laughed and Malen spun around. Tal stopped just in time and Malen walked out.

"I will be back, I'm going to eat the morning meal" Milla said walking out of the room, "Gill, take care of Tal, don't let anyone but friends in, alright!"

"Sure" Gill said.

After Milla left Gill sat down. Only after a few minutes the shadow puppet hiding in Tal's room decided it was safe to attack now, after all how tough could a child be?

Tal had drifted back into sleep, so he didn't see the man rise out of his hiding place with a knife in his hands.

Gill only did when he was right behind her. She screamed and leapt out of his daggers range just as he swung it down. Then he advanced towards Tal.

Gill jumped onto the man's back and grabbed him around the neck.

The man thrashed about but just couldn't shake off Gill. So he rammed her into the wall and she slid off his back.

He turned to deliver the finishing blow to her when he was blown right into the opposite wall by a red ray.

Tal was sitting up and he had his sunstone pointing at the man, but he just disappeared out the door running for his life.

Milla arrived a minute later looking bewildered, she had seen a man with coal black eyes running through the halls after hearing Gill scream. Inside the room Tal was lying against his pillow again with his eyes closed and Gill was panting slumped against a wall.

"What happened?" Milla asked.

"Shadow puppet" Tal replied simply.

"What! How did it get in?" Milla yelled towards Gill.

"I don't know it didn't come through the door" She whimpered.

Milla sighed and sat down as Crow came walking in. His face twisted into a confused look when he saw Gill slouched against a wall.

So Gill explained what had happened to Milla and Crow as they watched the door.

"So Sharrakor is gathering minions' ands making them shadow puppets" Milla said more to herself than anyone.

"Tal!" Crow yelled waking Tal up, but he didn't open his eyes. "Is what Gill said true?"

Tal nodded.

Crow left a little while later. Ferek came back and he, Gill and Milla stood in Tal's room.

Just then the door burst open and in the doorway stood a group of shadows.

"We're taking the boy, so step out of the way or prepare to die!" one shadow ordered.

Milla stood in front of the doorway and simply said, "No you aren't."

Then the shadows jumped forward in attack.


	9. Battle Plans

CHAPTER 9

But the shadows didn't jump at Milla; they jumped at the two Freefolk grabbing them around the necks.

"Oh, but you will give in, or else these two won't live to tell of how you betrayed them!" one shadow laughed.

Milla was struggling with what to do, give in and let Tal be killed or let Ferek and Gill be killed, which one! Then Milla had an idea.

"I will give you Tal, if I go with him wherever you take him" Milla offered.

"Fine, the master will repay us with you as a little snack once we've brought in this boy" the shadow replied with a grin on its face.

Some shadows went over to Tal and picked him up and a shadow wrapped itself around Millas hands where the Talons of Danir where. They couldn't fight.

Tal and Milla were taken out of the room by the shadows.

They were taken down into the former Underfolk levels back to the huge chamber. Sharrakor was waiting.

"I see you've finally given in, War Chief, finally given me my vengeance!" Sharrakor exclaimed standing right near Millas face, Milla responded by spitting in his face.

Sharrakor roared with displeasure.

"Don't worry, you won't be so cocky when you kill your own friend, or watch him die, it's your choice" Sharrakor said with an evil grin on his face.

Sharrakor ordered the shadows holding Tal to put him down in front of him. Then Sharrakor formed a shadow sword from one of the other shadows and raised it above his head.

"It's your choice, but I'm only giving you thirty seconds to think" Sharrakor said.

This was a really hard choice for Milla, she used to want to kill Tal, but now she didn't. And she wouldn't watch him die either. But Sharrakor would kill him either way, but if she killed Tal with Sharrakor inside him Sharrakor would be dead.

"Time's up!" Sharrakor roared bringing the blade slashing down towards Tal, but Tal rolled away!

"Stay still!" Sharrakor roared angrily slashing at Tal but Tal kept rolling away from the blows.

Then shadows came down and held Tal in one spot.

"Now you die!" Sharrakor yelled.

"NO!" Milla screamed.

Then a violet bird came swooping into the chamber and landed with its claws out on Sharrakors face. It was Seven! Tal thought, Ebitts bird.

Then Ebitt came walking into the room. He saved Tal and Milla again.

Tal jumped to his feet and so did Milla and they all ran off with shadows at their heel. They kept running until they reached the top of the Violet Tower, but the shadows were still hot on their heels.

Then Sharrakor flew up onto the top of the tower in front of Tal.

"You wont get away" He said in a sly voice and grabbed Tal by the throat, and hurled him off the tower!

Tal grasped at the edge and managed to grab hold.

Milla ran at Sharrakor but he knocked her back. Then he walked over to Tal and stood on one of his hands.

Then Tal reached up and got hold of Sharrakors arm and jumped back onto the tower.

Tal lunged onto Sharrakor and tried to raise his sunstone but Sharrakor was too strong and threw him off.

Tal clutched his stomach in pain as Milla swung her talons at Sharrakor, but it didn't affect him more than being knocked back a few steps.

Seven flew up and clawed at Sharrakors face again, but Sharrakor just knocked him away.

"Give up! There is no way to defeat me! I am more powerful than you will ever imagine!" Sharrakor roared.

Then another shadow leapt onto Sharrakor and bit into his neck time and time again, it was Rister the snake shadow!

Rister continued to bite him until Sharrakor was next to the edge of the tower, where Ebitt shoved him. This wouldn't kill him but it would give them time to escape. Rister jumped off Sharrakor just as he fell and unfurled his wings.

Everyone ran and the snake slithered as fast as it could away from Sharrakor. He roared and started to chase them.

Tal could hardly run because of the pain but fear made him sprint faster than he ever had before. They took shortcuts and wrong turns to shake off Sharrakor and it worked!

They finally came to a stop outside the Throne Room where Tal fainted from exhaustion and his multiple wounds.

They carried Tal back into his bed when all the original Freefolk children burst in, including Crow.

"What happened, we heard that you guys were fighting Sharrakor on top of the Violet Tower!" Crow panted.

"We were" Milla said slowing her breathing so she didn't pant.

"What! How is Emperor Tal?!" Ferek exclaimed.

"I'm fine, and stop calling me Emperor Tal, just call me Tal" Tal said quietly from his bed, startling everyone by speaking because they either thought he was dead or unconscious.

Milla told everyone what happened with occasional outbursts by Ebitt or Crow while Tal lay motionless on the bed.

After Milla explained all this she noticed Tal had his sunstone in his hands that were on his chest, he had gone to Aenir!

Milla quickly left the room while everyone was talking about what she had told them and went to her own room, and entered Aenir as well. She just hoped she would end up in the same place as Tal. She didn't know what he was planning on doing but he would need help, or someone to make sure he doesn't get himself killed which was much more likely.

She thought of Tal and got a mental image of him, and for some reason his eyes sparkled mischievously.

When she appeared in Aenir she was on top of the Old Khamsoul. Oh no! Milla thought, I've gone to the wrong place!

Then she saw Tal next to the edge of the rock.

"Old Khamsoul, I wish to ask you my question now!" Tal yelled over the roar of the wind and the booming reply came back, "Ask away."

"What should I do, I'm in no shape to fight and all of my people are cowering from the shadows, but they will take over the Dark World if I do nothing!" Tal explained.

"You should lead your people into battle once again against the shadows, but I must tell you two things." The voice replied.

"What?" Tal asked.

"First, Sharrakor is not the only master; there is one that rules him. And secondly when I send you back to your own world you will feel your pain much more than you did before because in Aenir it has almost disappeared, so ready yourself."

"You can send me back?" Tal asked.

"Yes, but I will in a minute or so because you have much to plan with the Icecarl War Chief."

Tal spun around and saw Milla slowly walking towards him.

"Why are you here?" Tal asked Milla.

"I followed you into Aenir after I realized you had gone" Milla replied.

They started to discuss battle plans when it started to rain. And a white light flash of light returned them to their own world. The minute Tal was back the pain returned and he rolled into a ball in pain. Luckily everyone but Ebitt and Gill had left.

"What happened?" Ebitt asked, and Tal explained to them what the Old Khamsoul had said.

"But I will not lead them into the fight, I will be already fighting Sharrakor by the time anyone attacks, or dead" Tal replied with a groan of pain.

Then the mirror slipped from in his sleeve and landed on the bed, Ebitt quickly grabbed it and looked into it.

"Where did you get this?" Ebitt asked.

"In the Chambers under the ice, what's the matter?" Tal asked.

"This is the key to the Netherworld!" Ebitt replied, "The only way to free the only thing more powerful than Sharrakor!"

"What! Uncle, why didn't you tell me this before?!" Tal yelled.

Ebitt was on his own world again stroking Seven under his chin and making bird sounds, which the violet bird replied.

Milla walked in the door and stopped when she saw Tal running out of the room as fast as he could, so she followed him.

When Milla caught up to Tal he was at the top of the tower again next to a chute.

"What are you doing?" Milla yelled to Tal who was making a long rope of light.

"Light diving, want to come?" Tal asked with that familiar mischievous look in his emerald green eyes. Milla found herself staring into his eyes.

"Where are you going?" Milla finally asked.

"I'm going to find Sharrakor, and then I will kill him. He leads the shadows and without him we will win" Tal explained still making the rope.

"But you're injured! How do you plan to kill the most powerful being in any world?" Milla asked.

"Ah, but he isn't the most powerful being, but this will be nearly impossible if I have to do it alone, so are you with me?" Tal asked.

A few minutes later Tal and Milla were strapped around the waist with a rope of light that was attached the top of the chute.

Then they dived, and they both hoped the rope was just long enough so it wouldn't leave them dangling or make them collide with the bottom of the chute, but this was the deepest thing Milla had seen, it went from the former Violet Seven down under the former Underfolk seven!


End file.
